This invention relates generally to a tool for use in the tying of fishing flies and to a braiding head attachment therefor for use in the braiding and weaving of a wide variety of artificial fishing lures. More specifically, the invention relates to a fly tying tool which is mountable on a conventional fish fly hook holding vise, whereby the tool and braiding head attachment can be used in conjunction with the vise.
Broadly speaking, tools for use in the tying of artificial fishing flies have long been known and used in the prior art. See, for example, the fly tying machines, devices and tools disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,332,655 issued to W. C. Miles on Oct. 26, 1943; U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,772 issued to R. R. Johns on Oct. 3, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,562 issued to A. Renzetti on Oct. 2, 1979. The motorized machine disclosed in the Miles patent is a relatively complex device employing many component parts. The device shown in the Johns patent is a much less complex knot tying tool attachable to a thread bobbin wherein a knot is tied on the end of a movable barrel placed near the eye of a fish hook. The end of the barrel is then placed over the eye of the hook and the knot is slid onto the hook shank. The thread is then severed and the barrel is retracted. Accordingly, the Johns device is merely a tool for facilitating the tying of a simple knot on a hook shank and does not provide means for facilitating the tying of a wide variety of different types of lures thereon.
The Renzetti patent is perhaps the most pertinent of the aforementioned references in that it shows a fly tying device including an elongated right angled arm containing a thread cradle on a free end thereof, and a fly hook holding vise aligned for passing a thread through the cradle to manually wrap about the shank of a hook held in the vise. The reference tool also includes a spiral spring clip disposed on a vise supporting arm in which feathers can be held temporally until selected for tying to the vise held fish hook. Here, again, the Renzetti tool does not provide means for threading the hook to facilitate the tying of a wide variety of different types of lure configurations. It simply provides for holding a hook stationary relative to the thread cradle to permit the use of both hands in performing complex fly tying operations.
The device of my invention is adapted for use in conjunction with a standard fly tying vise which, like the Renzetti device, permits the use of both hands in performing complex fly tying and lure weaving operations on a vise held fish hook. But, in addition, my device provides means for guiding one or more threads, including threads of different colors and sizes to facilitate tying lures of a virtually endless number of configurations, sizes, shapes and color combinations.